We are coming to the close of 2013, and as
we approach this close, some start to reflect on the year about to pass and
what you wish to change or what potential resolutions you will make for 2014,
what is your intention for you life?
Every year at this time I host a workshop
or retreat with the intention to celebrate the year, in preparation for the new
year on the horizon. I am preparing for my workshop Metamorphosis on the start
of Diwali, which is a Hindu festival celebrating victory, the good conquering
evil, which symbolically refers to the light of higher consciousness dispelling
the darkness. This is a fertile time and the birth of hope shines bright at
Diwali as you celebrate your light within and bring that forth into the new
year.
In my forth coming workshop Metamorphosis,
I’m inviting all attendees to become more conscious of the fundamental changes
that have occurred. Like how a caterpillar changes into a butterfly.
Contemplation:
How
have you changed?
What
evil, i.e the hardships and challenges have you overcome? or even what
hardships are in this moment trying to overcome?
I invite you to observe that these
challenges and the darkness are in fact the greatest blessings, like abhaya
mudra (have no fear) and varada mudra (offering blessing) symbolism reveals. It
is to sit in the midst of challenges with no fear, to not get draw in, to see
that these challenges are the blessings as they help you to evolve, expand and
come into your strength and courage and the truth of your true radiant essence.
Resolve
to evolve
"It is through your body that you realize you are a spark
of divinity." BKS Iyengar
Your yoga practice
is the tool for understanding the body and mind more fully, to yoke all
the diverse aspects of yourself thus you experience yourself more
completely are able to be more present to the depth of who you truly are.
It is an opportunity to set an intention to step into the sacred, to step
into the ritual and tend to the inner fire, to light up, to experience your
self beyond the body and invoke into your body the space for
It is
through your moment-to-moment awareness, choosing to move from the
sacred that you act in ways, which reveal the highest and
deepest offerings from within yourself.
Every moment presents
you with a choice, every interaction, every relationship offers you the
chance to move the sacred from within, into the world.
When
you begin to move with intention on the mat, and also gratefully use an
intention it becomes a ritualized practice; I teach vinyasa yoga, Vinyasa means
link movement with breath or place in a special way. When you place your hands
and feet and move in an out of each asana with the breath leading the way, this
moves the practice into one in which it all unites and becomes an embodied
prayer that holds you in the present moment in your own divine heart. The whole
practice becomes a meditation in motion with divine intent, you become one with
the Divine and your own divinity ~ they are One!
Sankalpa
A
sankalpa in Sanskrit means resolve, determination or intention – it
is;
- What you really wish to fulfill in this life.
- It resonates precisely in your core and aligns sublimely with your essence.
- It is a will power that is flexible and fluid enough to account for changing circumstances as the sankalpa begins to manifest in your inner and outer world.
It
is natural to have desires and these are the fuel for you to realise your
fullest potential, especially when you align your individual desires with that
which is more universal
So as
we approach the new year, a time of resolutions that are usually forgotten a
little time after, the depth of a sankalpa is more conscious, it is an
intention for your life to come to your fullest potential.
It all begins with
intention.
Conscious change is composed of attention, awareness
and intention
Your
intention can be multilevel in its purpose ~ physical, emotional, mental,
and spiritual. A sankalpa helps you realize and awaken to
your Divine nature, and co-create your life.
Why:
Setting an
intention is a powerful way to harness the life giving energy of your
practice towards your highest purest purpose. Just as we
work to align of our joints and muscles in yoga asana, we can choose
to also align our spirit through sankalpa. It shifts your attitude towards
the positive and that creates a change within you
The Upanishads state, “You
are your deepest desire” [sankalpa]
As is your desire so is your intention. As
is your intention so is your will. As is your will so is your deed. As is your
deed so is your destiny. ~ Deepak Chopra
Types of sankalpas
Your
sankalpa may be one of a heart felt desire, like “I am at peace” or “I am
completely whole” or it maybe goal related ie something you wish to achieve. Initially
this may be about giving something up or losing something ie stopping smoking
or losing weight or getting fit. For these types of resolutions, you may like
to look a little deeper, ask yourself why – you wish to lose weight to feel
better about yourself to experience more self worth, self love, self
appreication. Or stopping smoking, the desire is to feel more healthy and vibrant.
So as you work with a sankalpa the deeper meaning would come forth, thus
creating a sankalpa along the lines of ‘I love and value who I am” or “I live a
healthy balanced life full of vibrancy”. The practices of yoga cleanse us, fuel
us as we tend to the inner fire to burn away that which isn’t serving and so
what you may start as one sankalpa, it may change and evolve to something
deeper as your heart comes to truly realize its self.
Set an
intention on what we wish to see happen – not based on fear – it
is an intention that SEEks the highest – the sacred
How do you find your intention or sankalpa?
You
start to communicate and listen to yourself. This can be done through
meditation, or at the start of your day upon waking or at the beginning of a
yoga practice when your teacher begins to centre and invites you to create and
intention… have you heard this?
As you
begin to plant seeds of intention that grow and become the foundation for your
life and so you open the doors of experience.
Upon waking ~ I invite you to cOMmit to meet your
higher Self each morning as you awaken…. simply lie in savasana before you
get up and ask, your inner self
• Where do you wish me to go?
•
What do you wish me to do?
•
What do you wish me to say and to whom?
As you
begin to cOMmune with the universe, your life will begin to witness the
essence of your soul, your own divinity; then your radiance will express the
meaningful intimacy of the Divine in each moment from waking. Imagine
immersing yourself in the joy of victory that cOMes from
starting each day with a POWERful practice, your sadhana and intention and
every challenge becomes opportUNITY…
Meditation ~ here is a guided meditation that allows you
to turn
Yoga practice ~ as you start your yoga and are taking
time to centre, start to enquire what would you like to receive from my practice
today? Or what can I offer out through my practice? Or allow my practice to
show me a reveal to me my path? It’s your time use it wisely and consciously…
Creating your Sankalpa
Observe
that the sankalpas are in the present tense as if achieved, rather than future
I will. Your sankalpa is already present within, waiting to be seen, felt and
heard. You need to start to listen from within.. then formulate your sankalpa.
Here’s
some of my more recent one that arose as I made a sankalpa for each day over
the Navratri festival, where I was immersed and rekindling the fire to connect
to the Divine goddess within me. I had to let go of limiting beliefs to come
into my full power so I am able to offer more to my clients, my faily, my
partner, my life, the community
I
needed to let go of fear, doubt and control and so I formulated these sankalpas
after meditations and pujas over the nine days, here’s some, these sankalpas
that held me each day
- · I surrender, I love, I believe, I bow
- · I flow with the light of the Goddess
- · I pause, I breathe, I offer peace and love to all
- · I, be the cup to hold, nurture and give
- · I deeply trust the process & path of my life. I connect with love, I let go of control
Finally
as you begin to listen from within, create a sankalpa and be with
it for a day. then as you approach the new year of 2014 cultivate
Namaste
Michelle
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